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Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is a beautifully written story about two Chinese sisters one who lives in San Francisco and is very American and the other who has a very strong Chinese culture. The relationship that builds between these two sisters and the awesome stories told in the book is just vivid. It is a must read. Also see my review for the Joy Luck Club -- another must read.
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Summary: beautifully told......steeped old culture vs modern America
Review: Beautifully told. 100 Secret Senses tells a wonderfully vivid and clourful story which really questions whether modern Americans can still 'believe' in their hearts and souls. Sad to say that the character of Olivia turns out to be so shallow and naive, tricking her way into marriage yet then afterwards blaming everyone else for it not working - it was certainly not her husband's fault they got married in the first place! On top of this is her contempt and ridicule for her sister and her inability, with her modern ways and shallow expectations of life, to really value what she had (family, relationships, meaning to her life) and even at the end when Kwan's story comes full circle and the true meaning of it becomes apparent and we were finally hoping that Kwan's sacrifice would have brought Olivia and her closer and that Olivia would finally open her heart and believe in all that Kwan had been and all that she had been able to see and relate through her Yin eyes. Yet we were still, even in this final moment, left disappointed. Perhaps the message of this story is that in the rush for modern life not only is it hard for people to open their eyes and their hearts to the old beliefs of another culture for no reason other than because it is there but that for some, despite all of the proof and all of the joy that the fear yet respect of the spirits and the old ways brings with it, their Yin eyes have not only closed but may never ever reopen. Beautiful character of Kwan, flawed and shallow character of the modern self-seeking American woman in the person of Olivia. Sad to imagine that this book could ever be taken as a 'women's' book since although Olivia may represent all too many modern American women it would be a tragedy if her character - too shallow to see that she created the situation she later blamed on everyone else except herself and too closed in her heart to love and embrace all that her sister was even if only in death when the truth of Kwan's beliefs finally became apparent - were ever to be considered a 'role model' for the modern day. A sad reflection of how far we have come and having left our spirits behind (in more ways than one) rather than a book of joy of modern life.
Rating: 
Summary: Unexpected plot, quirky characters
Review: Overall, I liked this one. It had one flaw that made me very impatient with some scenes: I absolutely hated the main character, a whiney manipulative empty-headed woman who works hard to screw up her own life and is determined to blame other people for it. However, the character of the sister makes up for it, and I loved every scene in which she tells stories of old China. Ending was dumb, though.
Rating:
Summary: amy tan captures the moment through her writing
Review: Reading amy tan's the hundred secret senses opened my eyes to a whole new world...she captures the whole story through her writing, it seemed as almost i was right there watching what would happen in the story. She illustrates the way her sister kwan and olivia grow up together even though they bother come from different worlds. Kwan incorporating the broken english into her writing also makes it seem very real to the reader and allows the reader to get a sense of how it was as tan goes on to tell the story. i give it four stars....great come back after the joyluck club.
Rating:
Summary: the story creates a vivid picture
Review: Amy Tan did an exquiste job in writing this book. She explains the traditions and believes of her sister Kwan. Not only did she create a vivid picture but also the use of her chinese broken english incorportated in the story to give the reader a sense of how chinese people talk. I would reccomend this book, which is interesting and eliquently potrays the way Olivia ( the main character) views her sister and of life.
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Summary: My Favorite Book of All-Time
Review: I've read 100 Secret Senses at least 5 times and I always come away feeling happy and renewed when I close the last page. Kwan is a thoroughly enjoyable character, I identify with Olivia, and the idea of reincarnation doesn't sound quite as far-fetched to me anymore, having understood the way Tan explains her conception of the idea. Multiculturalism is big right now, too, in literature, and this has an interesting look into someone who grew up American but was influenced by the Eastern way of thinking. In fact, I may read this again after I review some more books.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: After a hard day at work, this was a really fun book to read. Amy has a fun writing style that exudes her good but sometimes tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Amy successfully intertwines the characters in real-life and complex interpersonal relationships. Then she blends in a good yarn about historical Chinese events into the life of the Chinese-American protagonist, Olivia. Amy develops Olivia's relationship with her nutty Chinese sister, Kwan, as well as her husband, Simon. The end of the story brings all the pieces together and leaves one feeling satisfied and optimistic about the future of all the characters. Although a bit exaggerated in places, it's a good read!
Rating:
Summary: The Amazing World of Kwan
Review: It is incomprehensible like multidimensional world: the concept of more than 5 senses, leave alone one hundred senses! At the same time, it is as fascinating as it is incomprehensible, thanks to the unimaginably endearing character portrayed by Kwan. She is an emblem of quintessential sisterhood, having come to America from the fable-filled ancient culture of China, to love her younger half-sister Olivia, for the sake of loving with nothing asked in return! It is heartbreaking to see that Kwan was not there to the very end to love and support Olivia.The old emotions do not die; they just transform into hopes which in turn start building dreams. The very idea of uninterruptible dreams is an escapade from real world; it is a disguise for human mind's unstoppable quest to gain immortality or at least to glance at it. The dreams that help bridge many lifetimes, past, future and present create continuum in space-time and it is this magic world that promises hundred secret senses and yin world. Kwan is a messenger of this dreamworld. You and I would like to be part of Kwan's world where sky is the limit for the hopes and dreams reach up to the stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Amy Tan does it again!
Review: Amy Tan continually writes books with more symbolism than plot. Maybe *Joy Luck Club* ruined it for me, but the whole 'get in touch with your past life' thing is old. If you have read one of her books, don't bother with any more, they are all the same. She writes (again) about a Chinese-American family with a member overseas (again). The story goes through the history of China (again) and a divorce (again) and a variety of narrator changes (again). All in all, her form is consistent, and her storyline is a broken record. While she is a good author, she needs to get some new material. The reason that she didn't get less has to do mainly with the ethos. She knows how to get the reader emotionally involved, and her style of writing resembles greatly that of Anton Checkov's, with everything fitting together nicely. However, there is very little pathos, and there is an overabundance of logos. If you enjoy Tan's work, this is for you. As for me, after reading three under duress, I am going to quit Tan cold turkey.
Rating:
Summary: Amy Tan Delivers Yet Again!
Review: Gosh, where do I begin to describe this novel? The word intricate comes to mind, yet that does not fully express the level of emotional magnitude that Amy Tan has so wonderfully spun. Tan captures her readers' "hundred secret senses" as she embraces Chinese culturalism to it's highest depicted level. Saying that this novel offers more than you can imagine is an understatement, you really have to read it for yourself to even remotely come close to understanding what I'm having a seriously difficult time expressing in this review. The novel is so REAL to me in every sense of the word. I recommend 'The Hundred Secret Senses' with my highest regards!
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